Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Richmond, VA

Meeting for Worship and The Clearing Update

by WebPost | Mar 19, 2020 | Announcement, Archive, COVID-19, Meeting House

Meeting for Worship and Meetinghouse update:
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 The Clearing is closed, at least through the end of April. 
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Rita Willett, Clerk of Meeting
Friends, I trust that you are grateful, as I am, for our beloved Friends community. Committees and individuals are
working with generosity and diligence, finding ways to care for one another in this uncertain and scary time.
I have been communicating with trustees, clerks of committees, and individuals in appointed roles to consider our
way forward, since there were decisions to make fairly quickly. Many of you have, no doubt, been involved in your
committee’s deliberations and plans. Here’s an update:
In-person Meeting for Worship has been cancelled until further notice. Please consider a time of worship at
home – 9:30 or 11:00 on First Days – to continue our practice of joining in the Spirit, even when we cannot
be together in person. A number of Friends are working on the logistics of a virtual meeting for worship, so
that is a possibility in the weeks ahead.
The Meetinghouse is closed to all users, also until further notice. We do not have the resources needed to
achieve recommended levels of sanitation for a community meeting place. Some of the Friends who
routinely volunteer to clean our meetinghouse are, themselves, at higher risk of illness. Suitable supplies are
scarce or unavailable. Experts tell us that the risk of widespread infection is significant in the days and
weeks ahead. We want to be responsible stewards of our facility and act in the best interests of both our
meeting and our wider community. This was a difficult decision – we cannot accommodate the community
groups who routinely use our building. We will welcome them back when we can do so safely.
Arrangements are being made by committees for the care of the Meetinghouse and Clearing. The only
individuals who should be in the buildings are those who have been tasked with these responsibilities by the
building committees.
The garden at the Meetinghouse is open to individuals who would like a quiet place for reflection or
meditation. (No groups, please.)
Friends, continue to hold each other, our Richmond community, and the world in the Light as we navigate the days
and weeks ahead. Reach out – to one another, to member of Care and Counsel, to me – for support as needed.
One of my favorite definitions of hope is to live as if joy is still possible, even in times when joy seems remote. Let’s help each other hold on to hope.

Rita Willet

Clerk of Meeting